Utah
Utah’s Fight for Suffrage
Women worked for over 70 years to get the vote. Divisions over race, tactics, and strategy did not stop suffrage efforts. Women kept their eyes on the prize . . . suffrage. Learn more about the fight for suffrage in Utah in the timeline below, or download the timeline as a printable PDF.
Utah’s Suffrage Timeline
1870
To promote statehood and Mormonism, Utah’s Territorial Legislature granted women over 21 full voting rights.
1887
As a condition of Utah’s statehood, the U.S. Congress passed the Edmunds-Tucker Act stripping Utah’s women of their right to vote.*
1889
Emmeline Wells and other suffragists founded the Woman Suffrage Association of Utah (WSAU). Wells also edited the Woman’s Exponent, which reported on the latest suffrage news and legislation. WSAU advocated for Utah legislators to reinstate the women’s right to vote and organized local WSAU chapters across Utah.
1894
The U.S. Congress enacted the Enabling Act, which set the terms for Utah’s statehood. With a required Constitutional Convention approaching, Utah’s suffragists saw the opportunity to regain the vote for women. In response, WSAU expanded its organizing efforts, establishing suffrage organizations in 19 of Utah’s 27 counties. Suffragists approached both the Democratic and Republican parties to gain support.
1895
At Utah’s Constitutional Convention, delegates voted to include suffrage in Utah’s Constitution. Following the convention, Utah’s all-male electorate approved the amendment by a 28,618 to 2,687 vote, and women regained the right to vote in 1896.
1896
Dr. Martha Hughes Cannon, a prominent Salt Lake City physician and suffragist, made history by defeating her husband to become the first woman elected to a State Senate. In 2024, Utah Legislators honored Dr. Hughes by placing her statue in the National Statuary Hall Collection in the U.S. Capitol.
September 30, 1919
September 30, 1919—Utah ratified the 19th Amendment.
*The history behind this early back-and-forth is fascinating and worthy of further discussion.
References
Brown, B., Watkins, N., & Kitterman, K. (n.d.). Gaining, Losing, and Winning Back the Vote:
The Story of Utah Women’s Suffrage. Utah Women’s History. https://utahwomenshistory.org/2018/02/receiving-losing-and-winning-back-the-vote-the-story-of-utah-womens-suffrage/
Clark, R. (n.d.). Dr. Martha Hughes Cannon, First Female State Senator. Utah’s Women’s History. https://utahwomenshistory.org/the-women/marthahughescannon/
Cooney, Robert. (2005). Winning the Vote: The Triumph of the American Woman Suffrage Movement. American Graphic Press.
Jacobs, B. (2020, September 4). Utah Leaders Unveil Statue of Martha Hughes Cannon, Nations First Female State Senator. The Salt Lake Tribune. https://www.sltrib.com/news/2020/09/14/utah-leaders-unveil/
Radke-Moss, A. (n.d.). Emily S. Richards. Utah Women’s History. https://utahwomenshistory.org/the-women/emilysrichards/
Utah and the 19th Amendment. (2019, November 23). National Park Service. https://www.nps.gov/articles/utah-women-s-history.htm
White, Jean Bickmore. (n.d.). Women’s Suffrage in Utah. Utah History Encyclopedia. https://www.uen.org/utah_history_encyclopedia/w/WOMENS_SUFFRAGE_IN_UTAH.shtml
Women’s Suffrage: 1870-1896. (n.d.). Utah: I Love History. https://ilovehistory.utah.gov/1870-1896-womens-suffrage/
Women’s Suffrage in Utah. (2021, May 30). National Park Service. https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/women-s-suffrage-in-utah.htm